Animal Planet teased the premiere of Alaska Bush Family at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Thursday morning, and it looks an awful lot like A&E's Duck Dynasty – absurdly long beards and all.

"Our family is doing what is natural for human beings to do," family patriarch Billy Brown says in the sizzle reel. "It's the life we were meant to live." The show focuses on the Brown family – Billy, wife Ami, and their nine children – as they hunt, fish, and work together to survive in the frigid Alaskan bush.

The quintessentially rough-around-the-edges father told the TCA audience that the premise behind the six-episode series, premiering this spring, is to shed light on the family's isolated existence, so that the US can see that it's still possible to live an independent life but as a family unit.

"God and family values," Brown said in response to a question about what the most important takeaway is from the show. "Not putting anybody down, I think it's something we're losing today," he added.

Billy and Ami Brown of Alaska Bush Family at the 2014 Winter Television Critics Association tour in California. -- AFP/Getty Imaes/Frederick M. Brown

After Brown lost his family at the age of 16, he hit the road, met Ami, and they travelled the country together. But the two were never satisfied with the cities and towns in the lower 48. "When Alaska opened up to us it was like a ready-made home to us," Brown said.

As part of homeschooling the children, Brown told the audience he would write stories and put together kids' books. One of the sons eventually put the books online, where producers discovered the isolated family and offered to tell their story.

"We spent 30 years of our life trying to stay as far away as we could from this stuff and people," Brown said. "We think it's cool to show people how we live." — Reuters

Disney Junior has ordered new seasons of its animated series Sofia The First, Doc McStuffins and Jake And The Never Land Pirates. All three series have performed well for the network geared to the preschool-age demographic, ranking well among the key demo, as well as ranking in the Top 10 for preschool shows on cable, as well as their parents. The series also did well for total viewers and with women ages 18-49.

"Sofia The First, Doc McStuffins and Jake And The Never Land Pirates do what Disney does best – tell great stories with humour and heart," said Disney Junior Worldwide's executive vice president.

"We've seen these series connect with our audience around the world and across platforms in meaningful ways, and we have many more stories to tell. We look forward to developing new narratives that will put our charismatic princess Sofia, aspiring doctor Doc, and inspiring hero Jake into exciting new situations and locales."

Additionally, the shows can be seen in more than 30 different languages in more than 160 countries, including Malaysia. — Reuters

The Practice and The L Word alum Camryn Manheim has signed on as a series regular on CBS's upcoming drama Extant from executive producer Steven Spielberg, the network said Thursday.

Manheim, whose most recent TV roles include Ghost Whisperer and Harry's Law, will play Sam Barton, the best friend and closest confidante of Molly (series star Halle Berry). The series, from Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios, follows Berry as an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space.

Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history. Extant is scheduled to premiere in the US in summer 2014. — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from TVTo stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.